Editorial: Sunny days power bright energy outlook

Tuesday

As we counter with sunscreen, wide-brimmed hats, umbrellas and air conditioning, the state’s utility regulators are increasingly pushing electricity providers to harness our sun’s energy.

Our future is brighter as a result.

The Georgia Public Service Commission, or PSC, and Georgia Power last week came to an agreement to double the megawatts from solar power the utility proposed as part of its three-year energy mix plan. By 2024, Georgia Power is expected to generate enough electricity from the sun’s rays to fuel every home in Savannah and all of Georgia’s coastal counties.

The move benefits Georgians both environmentally and economically.

From an environmental standpoint, solar power is clean energy, converted to electricity without emitting greenhouse gases. Additionally, the increase in solar allows for the shuttering of several coal-burning plants that do cause pollution, as well as produce waste, coal ash.

Economically, the call for more solar capacity opens up opportunities for landowners and entrepreneurs. Georgia Power expects to draw most of its solar energy from large-scale arrays, with panels installed on top of large buildings or in standalone solar farms.

One of the state’s largest rooftop installations is the IKEA distribution center at the Savannah International Trade Park. The 789,000-square-foot warehouse is topped by 6,076 panels that generate enough electricity to power 170 homes.

As for solar farms, Savannah’s first was installed earlier this year at a landfill site along President Street. Travel beyond the city, and larger solar farms dot the Southeast Georgia countryside in places such as Bulloch and Screven counties.

The PSC’s actions promise to increase private interest and investment in solar collection. Georgia Power first added solar energy to its mix in 2013. The utility today operates 12 solar farms of its own, far too few to meet demand.

With much of Georgia receiving an average of five hours of direct sunlight daily and plenty of farmland, particularly south of Atlanta, the solar business could become big business.

Greater potential for the future

Experts estimate Georgia could draw as much as 30 percent of its electricity from solar.

Those projections assume widespread installation of residential rooftop solar panels, however, and that would likely require a shift in approach.

Unlike in other states, Georgia’s solar growth trajectory has been largely market driven. The PSC sets the benchmarks for the utility companies, but the state does not offer tax credits to install solar. Nor has the Georgia General Assembly imposed a net-metering law, which would allow property owners to sell energy to Georgia Power and others at retail prices.

Instead, Georgia Power currently pays about 3 cents per kilowatt for electricity shared on the public grid, well below the market rate of 9 cents per kilowatt. Commissioner Tim Echols put forth a motion during the recent hearings that will result in a re-examination of the 3 cents per kilowatt Georgia Power pays solar energy collectors. That review begins in January.

Yet there is no guarantee the PSC’s new solar target and the pending examination will coax Georgia Power to alter its appropriately named Solar Buy Back program. The commission, like the Legislature, is reluctant to be too heavy-handed with utilities, which are shareholder-owned and have made huge investments in infrastructure over the years.

The PSC has the leverage to make utility providers see the light in capturing more of the sun’s rays, however. The Plant Vogtle nuclear reactor expansion falls under the commission’s purview. Lengthy construction delays and astronomical cost overruns have plagued that project — much to the ratepayers’ chagrin.

How much more energy comes from solar is largely dependent on the PSC. Solar power generation costs have fallen dramatically over the last decade and continue to do so, but are not as economical as fossil fuels, hydroelectric and nuclear.

We applaud the PSC for its efforts to make solar energy an increasingly significant part of Georgia’s energy mix. Georgia Power deserves kudos, as well, for adapting to change and now embracing this renewable resource.

We encourage them to explore more ways to expand their solar initiative. The sun may be harsh in these summer months, but it’s comforting to know those rays are benefiting Georgians in other ways.

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